A simple daily exercise to increase my happiness

1. I went to a workshop at the UW career center as a positive step toward finding a job when I graduate, and it was … fun. Well, not fun, but enjoyable, and I got some great positive feedback and Chris the counsellor was a hopemonger there. That went well because I decided to do it even though I was scared.

2. I stopped and smelled the blossoms on one of the cherry trees in the quad today, and it blew me away with it’s powerful yet delicate sweetness. I’m getting little shivers of joy remembering it. That went well because I slowed down and actually stopped for the 10 seconds it took to do that.

3. I had a really great conversation with Megsie just now kind of involving trust. That went well because I stopped and listened and interacted with her on purpose. (Megsie is yotta-awesome.) (Megsie is going to be a world-famous and rich author someday.)

1. I danced with Coco. She came running out when some music started in the movie they were watching and shouted “DANCE with me, daddy!!!”. And I didn’t resist. I gave in, and jumped up, and went in and danced and danced with her. It was awesome.

2. I got into the Obama rally with 20,000 other people–the venue got totally full, and thousands got turned away. I skipped a class, and had my bike, and got there early enough to get in. Yippee!

3. Tomorrow we are all going away for an overniter to a resort for free. Yippee. Because I got a free nite there, somehow (3 guesses). And I followed up and organized it.

1. I bought a new toothbrush. Because I am very good at attending to my dental hygeine.

2. Meg was happy to get out of the car at school this morning. Because I have been very patient with her, and thoroughly honest; she now knows what is going on ahead of time and feels in control enough to get involved. I think (it’s impossible to know exactly what is going on inside her head).

3. I paid my car rego. Because I have a job and an income and can afford even rather expensive things.

So for today and yesterday. Three things that went well and why they went well.

1. I got to go to the planetarium with E and her kindergarten class. That went well because I have classes in that building, and I came out of my 8:30 class and E’s teacher saw me and said “Benjamin” and I said “what are you doing here” and she said “We’re all going to the planetarium”, which I didn’t even know was *in* that building. So I decided to skip my next class and go to the planetarium with E, ’cause that’s more fun and more important than going to my next class. And you know what’s wierd? In the planetarium, you don’t get the moon illusion. On the horizon, the moon just looks like this tiny little thing (which it actually is). But it *looks* awfully wrong, even though it’s empirically correct. If *I* owned the planetarium, I’d program the moon illusion in somehow =)

2. I went into a mosque in America for the first time ever. I was very culturally savvy and took off my shoes. =). I wanted to ask about Arabic classes. And there was a gentleman there who told me that they have such classes the first saturday of every month, which as it happens was tomorrow! So now today (which is of course the tomorrow to which I referred), I can go to the class. Yippee. My first ever Arabic class. Yotta stoked. That went well because I took a different bus home than usual, and thus had to ride past the mosque on my bike, and rememberd I’d been meaning to check, so I went in and checked.

3. This morning we sat around and Coco opened her fourth birthday presents, and we looked at pictures of her birth 4 years ago. I felt so … delighted, again, at her birth and her existence. That went well because we got married, and conceived, and gave birth, and keep plugging away at the parenting thing, and she is relatively and reasonably well protected and loved and we are all together. Yay!

1. We went and hung out with my parents and sibling and sibling in law today, and I didn’t say a single rude, shocking, unkind word to anyone the whole time. That went well because I am maturing.

2. I got the heater working in our minivan today, which hasn’t worked since we owned it, and burrrrr it’s been cold to drive in, plus in the rain you constantly had to wipe off the inside of the windshield of the fog. That went well because I finally got over my mental block and just fixed it. And cause my dad provided brilliant expert advice when it was needed.

3. Today when I was at the auto parts store getting stuff for the minivan, a guy was buying a battery and asked the counter person if anyone could install it. And he said “no”. So I said “Would you let me help you?” And he said “Sure”. So I grabbed a deep well 10 mil. socket and a wratchet and in 3 minutes I had his new battery installed. And he handed me $20 cash and said thank you. And I didn’t refuse it. So that paid for the bits I needed for the minivan heater fix. That went well because I had the tools, and wanted to help, and I’m good at that sort of thing, and I’ve gotten over the “don’t let people pay you for your help” thing I grew up with.